Tom Brady on D&C: ‘Everything kind of worked out the way that we hoped it would’

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his weekly appearance with Dennis & Callahan on Monday morning, following Sunday’s offensive explosion in a 55-31 victory over the Steelers.

The Patriots closed the game on a 35-7 run after squandering a 14-point halftime lead. The 55 points marks the most scored in the NFL this season and the most every scored against Pittsburgh, and New England’s 610 yards of total offense is the most ever allowed by the Steelers as well.

“It was just one of those days where everything kind of worked out the way that we hoped it would,” Brady said. “It really hasn’t gone like that all season for us. It was really a great time for it to happen. Hopefully we can gain some confidence, and going forward we can really understand we can be that type of team that can make big plays, that runs the ball well, that can chew up the clock, be a ball-possession team if we need it.

“We took advantage of some turnovers and really answered the call I thought in the third quarter when they tied it up 24-24 and we lost our momentum. It was a great way to finish the game.”

Added Brady: “To get to 7-2 at this point, it’s pretty cool. I know it hasn’t felt that way, we’ve been grinding our way out of these wins. But to be 7-2 at this point is pretty good.”

Tight end Rob Gronkowski, in his third game back following multiple offseason surgeries, had a career-high nine receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown.

“He’s one of the best players in the NFL,” Brady said. “We really haven’t had him for a long time, and we’ve learned to play without him. But it’s obvious, when he’s in there he adds a different element to what we’re trying to do. That’s why he’s such a good player.

“He worked really hard to get back to this point. After he’s got a few games under him and he’s got his football legs back, hopefully he can continue to do it. It was a big spark for us yesterday. He really came out making some really great plays on third down, some drive-starters where we got things going into the drive.

“He’s a tough matchup because of his quickness and his strength and his size. He’s tough to cover. And when the extra coverage goes to him, it means there’s less coverage on the other guys, which frees them up.”

Wide receiver Aaron Dobson had an 81-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter on which he sprinted down the left sideline and outran the defense to catch a perfectly thrown ball.

“We were kind of backed up in our own territory,” Brady recalled. “We called a play where Aaron had an opportunity to get down the field and make a choice. It’s one of those routes where you run to the most open spot, and we talk about it. It’s really the quarterback and the receiver having to be on the same page. I saw him take off and he gave me some body language where I knew where he was headed. He’s really fast, so when he gets beind the defense, it’s really hard for them to catch him.

“He tracked the ball, caught it and finished the play, which was a great thing. That’s hard to do for a rookie receiver. He’s been thrown in the mix, as Kenbrell [Thompkins] has, and Josh Boyce has. All three of them added something different to our team at this point, and we’re going to need them all going down the stretch, because this is about the the time of the year where you really see what the football teams are all about.”

On how his relationship with the new receivers has improved: “The more you practice together, the more you’re going to be on the same page. It’s always about the offense and the quarterback, receivers, tight ends, seeing things through the same set of eyes. If I’m thinking one thing and they’re thinking another, it doesn’t usually go well. So, the more we communicate, the more we practice — that’s why years of experience with certain players, that’s why guys like Deion Branch and I had such a great connection, and guys like Wes [Welker] and I. We’re trying to develop that with the new guys, because that’s what you’ve got to do in the NFL. We’ve made some progress, and yesterday was a good day for us, but we’ve got to do it consistently going forward.”

On faking out veteran safety Troy Polamalu before throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola in the first quarter: “He’s an aggressive player. He moves at a different speed than everybody else. I have so much respect for him and the way that he plays the game, and how tough and physical he is. He’s a great player. He was in the middle of the field and I tried to just look him — he went for the fake, and I came back and saw Danny running up the field. That was a good way to start the game for us, especially after the drive where we got down to the 1-yard line and didn’t get it in.”

On his plans for the bye week: “It’s nice to get away for the mental and physical break. I’m not sure what we’re going to do. But there’s a lot of football going on still at this point. It’s not like it’s a holiday. There’s a lot of self-evaluation that you do, and trying to get ahead on Carolina, trying to get ahead on the rest of the schedule. There’s quite a bit to do, and I’m excited about doing that. It will be good to evaluate kind of where we’re at and where we can get better. Now that we can get to the things that we’ve been consistently good at, and stop doing the things that we’ve been consistently bad at over the last nine weeks. It’s come at a good time of year for our team. Hopefully we can get healthy and be at our best here come November and December.”

On if he jokingly expects to be punished by the commissioner after his admission last week that he egged houses on Halloween as a kid in Northern California: “No, I was pretty safe. The statute of limitations ran out on that one. ‘¦ That would be an interesting fine letter.”